Trophy. I was hoping to get something nice, but we all backed away from a big $$ contribution. I'll look at cheapies and make a decision this weekend and get something together by Monday for the group.

I've finally come up with a decent solution that fits my criteria:

--Be a "real" trophy - metal not plastic.
--Be a cup. "Minnesota Cup" would be silly if it were anything else.
--Have a way to engrave team names yearly.

I had thought of doing a nice paint job on an ammo box and attaching engraveable plates to it. . .but then looked around my workshop and realized that I could not do the idea justice and it would come out looking badly.

The price of the basic, 6" cup is $70 + engraving. I'd like to ask $20 from all interested and depending on how many contribute I will updrade the cup in size. Bigger is better.

Also for having the option of engraving each year, they call it "Perpetual":

Quote:

Q. I want to use a trophy as a perpetual award, is this possible?

A. Yes, on those trophies that have larger bases (most of the appropriate trophies will have a drop-down area to indicate you would like a perpetual award. We are often asked about how many lines will fit on a standard base. There is no one answer, as we can use different font sizes depending upon your requirements. In general, on the larger trophy bases, we would recommend no more than 8-10 lines. There is a charge of 15 cents per letter for each character over what is allowed in the standard fields. This charge will not appear on your initial order, but will be added manually. We can also engrave in 2 columns if required. If you select a perpetual trophy, the plates will be mounted with screws for later removal. In some cases, it will be easier to ship a new plate for future years, and in others, it may be possible to add to your existing engraving.

Q. I want to use a trophy as a perpetual award, can I add additional blank plates, either now or in the future?

A. Yes, we can put blank plates on the sides and back of most perpetual trophies. There is a $4.35 charge for each plate - this includes the plate and mounting. This charge will not appear on your initial order, but will be added manually.

Please let me know what you think and if you would be willing to contribute to the cup ($20).

Great - we've got enough to get the large, 10" cup. There will be shipping and possibly other incendentials so another contribution would be welcome. I'm going to order the 10" with the following options tomorrow. Please comment if you see anything that should be changed. I've opted to get plates for the sides and back of the base so that there is plenty of room for years and years of this event.

Quote:

01. Please Select Size: 10 Inch Bowl, TR3726 (+$29.95)
02. Front engraving - Line 1: MOGA
03. Front engraving - Line 2: Midwest Open Geocaching Adventure
04. Front engraving - Line 3: 1st Place Team Course
06. Engraving instructions (each line will be centered) : Upper & Lowercase
07. Do you need engaving on the Bowl itself: No, Skip to #11 Below
11. Will this be used as a Perpetual Trophy? (if yes, we will leave room for future engraving): Yes, it will be a Perpetual Trophy (Please complete questions below)
12. Do you want additional engraving plates on the base: Yes, one on each side & one on back (+$11.85)
13. Do you need additional engraving on the front now: Yes, 2 Lines (+$5.90)
14. Front engraving - extra line 1: 2004 - Team MnGCA
15. Front engraving - extra line 2: 2005 - Team MnGCA

Total: $117.65 (without shipping)

6 x $20 donations = $120.

Moderators, please consider stripping out all cup discussions into their own thread. Thanks.

If donations go over the cup amount + shipping, the remainder will go to gas for the trip (split between vehicles). All details will be shared in writing with the contributers and others going on the trip.

I have a question... Why not put lines 1,2 and 3 on the cup and put the names on the bottom?

Because it is more $$. That and I trust them to be able to do pro-grade engraving in a flat plate but I'm not sure that it would look good if they did it on the cup. Good thought though - it would be my preference too.

Another thought.... Do we want to spend that kind of ching for something that will sit in somebodys closet for 11 months? Nobody gets to take it home with them. Are the MOGA people going to display it the rest of the year? I understand that we don't want to look cheesy but if no one is going to see it except at MOGA thats a lot to spend.

Isn't it a matter of pride for those that go every year? If I normally made the trip I would be in just for the MN pride. Some year maybe I'll make the trip with the crew._________________King of the Jeff Gordon TB's!
They put that cache WHERE?

Another thought.... Do we want to spend that kind of ching for something that will sit in somebodys closet for 11 months? Nobody gets to take it home with them. Are the MOGA people going to display it the rest of the year? I understand that we don't want to look cheesy but if no one is going to see it except at MOGA thats a lot to spend.

Why not let the winners take it home? If we allow someone to take it home it could stay there.

Why not get a cheapie? Because it would not be worth doing IMO.

It would not be an issue if you want to back out -- really. Just do it before I order tomorrow.